After four wins and only one loss in double overtime, The Hawks conclude their non-conference schedule and open CAA play with yet another victory. Monmouth faced Hofstra on Friday Sept. 20 at Cindy Lewis Stadium, where the Hawks offense was on full display in a dominating 7-0 win.
The Hawks capitalized on their scoring opportunities from the jump as forward Milla Frye started things off for the Hawks to get their first goal on the board with a backhanded shot that gave her her second goal of the season. The freshman not only began the scoring sequence but ended it when she found the back of the net for a second time later in the game, dribbling inside the arc to spin and score.
Just 34 seconds after Frye opened the scoring pool, midfielder Sofia Fouces lifted Monmouth’s lead to 2-0 from an unassisted takeaway. Fouces efforts continued throughout the contest as she later played a key role in assisting forward Emily Singer and forward Lilly Ricks to extend Monmouth’s lead even further.
The offense didn’t stop there as the Hawks scored in every quarter of the contest. Forward Jess Tucker tallied her fifth goal of the season when a grab and go early in the second quarter gave Monmouth their third goal.
Forward Morgan Kato scored in the third quarter off an assist from Frye to further Monmouth’s lead 5-0.
The Hawks defense was just as commanding, holding Hofstra to 10 shots, and only four of them on goal. Goalkeeper Jessie Eiselin played for the first half accumulating three saves before goalkeeper Charlie Bowman held the Pride to no goals with one save. Eiselin and Bowman combined for their second straight shutout.
Monmouth’s offense had 25 shots on the day, 14 of which went on goal. Singer, Ricks, and Kato all scored their first career goals while Frye composed her first multi-goal game.
Monmouth then traveled to the big apple on Sunday Sept. 22 to face Colombia, adding another win to their season.
The Hawks offense put the pressure on Colombia’s goalkeeper, Katie Wimmer, firing 20 shots at her, 14 on goal. Wimmer stood strong in goal making 13 saves, but it was in the third quarter that Ricks was able to break through her defense and score Monmouth’s lone goal of the day, which was enough to secure Monmouth’s win despite Colombia’s offense that pressured early in the match due to Eiseline’s efforts in goal. This was her third match in a row holding her opponents to no goals. She earned her first shutout of the season with five saves, and currently leads the Coastal Athletic Association with an .846 save percentage.
The Hawks will make their way to Pennsylvania to go up against Drexel on Friday Sept. 27 for their second game in conference play.
